|
Three's a charm, isn't it? With the unexpected termination of Tommy Bowden of Clemson, there have to be a few other coaches who now know the inevitable is coming sooner rather than later. While Clemson may have given Bowden an ultimatum—win the ACC or else—the timing of this stinks. The only ones who get hurt by this are the Clemson players. They are now left with a lame duck coach and total instability on the sidelines. Why are these early firings coming so early? MONEY. Thanks to the BCS, it's big bowl or bust. Schools spending millions upon millions on student-athletes in a down economy are feeling pressure to react to boosters who lost half their savings in the stock market or 401ks. The boosters are feeling the pinch, and they want some return on their donations. Win it, dammit. Who's next for the firing squad? Tyrone Willingham and Tommy Tuberville. Reports have surfaced (Ben Maller's rumors 10/12/08) that U-Dub is already shopping for another coach, which has to do wonders for the Huskies' morale. While the school has publicly backed Willingham, unnamed sources are leaking a shopping list for Washington's new coach. Nice job, guys. Tommy Tuberville will also be looking at a new job shortly. His premature firing of OC Tony Franklin was so shocking, that you have to think Tuberville was presented a similar ultimatum prior to the Arkansas game. With Arky beating Auburn, it now looks like Tuberville's genius isn't as smart as Franklin's. The Razorbacks are the doormat of the SEC this year due to a tremendous loss of talent, and yet Tuberville still couldn't right the sinking Titanic moored in Auburn. Auburn fans must be reeling: their hearts were set on winning the SEC, and now they just hope they can get in the Independence or PapaJohns.com Bowl. Anybody else? How about Chuck Long at San Diego State, Phil Fulmer at Tennessee, Bret Bielema at Wisconsin, and Charlie Weis at Notre Dame? While Long's job insecurity seems a bit obvious, what about Fulmer, Beilema, and Weis? Fulmer has suffered a dismal season so far, and the Vols fans won't put up with it. Adding to their misery is the fact that Fulmer was given a long extension—the payout for the contract could cause the Vols to be Fulmer's for a long time unless it gets too unbearable. |
comments (68) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
Weis is an expensive firing, and thus unlikely, though not unearned for all the reasons you cite and more.
You could also mention his inability to beat anybody with a pulse. Exactly one ND victim on Charlie's watch has finished in the top 25 at the end of any season, that being #24 Penn State a couple of years ago. That does not bode well for these people projecting Notre Dame to the Gator Bowl.
Yet, check out the Notre Dame commenters. He still has his fans. It's a passionate case they make. Read them long enough and you too are willing to accept that if a 5-7 record happens to the 2012 Irish, then that too will be the fault of Tyrone Willingham's bad recruiting.
I think Bielema's safer at Wisconsin then you imply. Last I checked, Barry Alvarez is still a well loved and powerful figure on that campus, and Bielema's his guy. That situation is stable for at least this season.
from about 1 month ago
Not only is Alvarez well loved and powerful, but he is Bret's boss! Alvarez is the Athletic Director at Wisonsin.
I agree that Bielema is probably safe this season, but his coaching the last three weeks has been iffy at best.
from about 1 month ago
Barry is beloved, by myself, included. He did more for that program that anyone ever realizes. We agree there. However...if you go to to SouthBendTribune.com, many Irish faithful have called for Weis head:
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081012/SPORTS13/810120318/1021/Sports
Read after the article, in the "talk about it" section.
about 1 month ago
Bowden had to go. He was killing that program with his ineptitude!
Robinson is all but gone and Washington would be smart ot get rid of Willingham. Phil Fulmer needs to retire and save Tennessee from having to fire him.
Tuberville, I just don't know. What in the world is going on over there?
from about 1 month ago
Nick Saban is what is going on. Bama hired a winner. Bama hired the chosen one. It's in the cards. Auburn needs to hire a young gun like Lane Kiffen.
from about 1 month ago
Ooohhh... Kiffin would be a great hire. He will be a hot commodity this off-season.
from about 1 month ago
Bama hired Damien..lol
from about 1 month ago
Lane Kiffin has to be the number one guy out there. Does he stay in the West Coast or come East?
about 1 month ago
My heatfelt sympathies to all who are in the hotseat. As Sam Elliot said after kicking the guy in the knee in Roadhouse, man that hurts, doesn't it? You can say "yeah well this is college football coaching" but when your season starts with a train wreck against Alabama, when expectations were so high (same for Clemson against Georgia a few years ago), and the whole nation sees you with that stunned look on your face, it is more than anyone should endure.
I think it took someone to get the trend started. Now that Clemson has said "Take A Bow" to Mr. Bowden, can it be long until Auburn dismisses one of their best coaches ever? And Tennessee does the same to their favorite son Mr. Fullmer? Then it may be time for the Irish to say "May the road rise to meet you" to Charlie Weis (was it worth firing the fine Irishman O'Leary?). The big question is, who will hire these guys if they don't want to just write memoirs and speak at banquets?
from about 1 month ago
J-
The thing is...what has Bowden really done? Has he ever won a conference championship?
They will be fine...the problem is the boosters who insist on high dollar contracts to keep their coaches out of the pros, then get stuck with them when they don't meet expectations.
from about 1 month ago
I know what he's done.
Never had a 10-win season. Never made it to a BCS Bowl. Oh, wait...that's what he hasn't done.
But, he's beaten his daddy 3 years in a row...which would have been a lot more impressive 10 years ago.
Clemson did themselves a favor in the long run. Bowden routinely stole 4-5 star talent from other programs in the southeast and turned them into mediocre semi-big-name players.
You don't hear much from Clemson players in the NFL. You don't hear much about them on ESPN or other college sports news outlets(except in the preseason).
Heck, I know more about that dang Rock than I know about their football team.
Clemson is a nice town. It's no Austin, TX or State College, PA...but it has some perks.
Just not a winning tradition.
Clemson needs to hire a coach that expects to win. Not one that throws his players and coaches under the bus. Not one that can't win the ACC, especially with the talent they've been pulling in over the past 5 years.
At least he doesn't have to wear purple anymore.
about 1 month ago
Re: Not re Damn vs. Navy - don't write that W for ND in ink
from about 1 month ago
Hmm...I was trying to be nice. Don't want more Irish hate than usual.
about 1 month ago
Tubs could still beat Alabama and it would probably save his job, but rumors around the state are saying he doesn't really want to stay.
from about 1 month ago
Well...rumors are usually true. I wouldn't want to stay either if I had to play the Tide in the Iron Bowl. The proverbial tide has turned.
about 1 month ago
San Diego State has very little past success to look back at, so Chuck Long is probably safe.
from about 1 month ago
I respectfully disagree...in the 90's, SDSU played very competitively. and even beat some big name teams. They used to get the 3 star talent out of Cali...no longer. It;s too bad, b/c SDSU is home to one of the prettiest cities in this country. SDSU should expect to get in a bowl of some sort, and their losing seasons are not going to be tolerated.
from about 1 month ago
SDSU played competitively in the WAC, which equates to being the tallest midget. They knocked off a couple of teams when they had the likes of Dan McGwire and Marshall Faulk, and they made a whopping 2 bowl games in the 1990s.
about 1 month ago
Agreed re: Coach Bowden. And I would love to see the Irish salvage this season, give Jimmy Clausen something to celebrate. The Irish did a lot of things well on Sat. but aarrgghhh those turnovers.
from about 1 month ago
J-
The biggest red flag I saw was Charlie's decision to call the plays at the end....he specifically said that it was up to his OC to call the plays, and so far it was working. But he took over. That pass into the flat was as predictable as Turkey on Thanksgiving menus. And that's the problem...if you look at the play calls, Clausen will get picked more and more because there is nothing new. Like Tebow on a sneak on 4th and 1...eventually, it catches up to you.
about 1 month ago
Way to stir the pot Lisa. I personally don't get the Auburn situation. Tubs has had good seasons there and no real letdowns. I think those fans must be schizophrenic to want his head on one bad year. But is it a bad year? They were ranked until last week and still have a winning record.
Fulmer, on the other hand, has been passed by and he has several seasons of disappointment to show for it. Just because the teams ahead of Tennessee last year crumbled allowing Tennessee to back into the SEC championship game didn't make Tennessee any better. In fact, they won by field goals (or missed field goals by the opposition) in the Vandy and South Carolina games and Kentucky took them to multiple overtimes (and should have won). So Fulmer is long past his firing and has been on borrowed time for several seasons now.
Weis has perpetrated nothing short of a fraud on ND and they locked themselves in with the exorbitant buyout. They are now reaping the seeds they have sewn. They have the cash if they decide to pay him to go away and they would have reason to do so.
Willingham is as done as Bowden. It just hasn't been made "official."
Beilema will have to go. He has done what the Boston College coach did and that was put up a good record with the former players of the previous coach who had the previous coach's discipline instilled in them. The more they get away from that previous coach (in this case Alvarez), the more mediocre the team becomes. In other words, Beilema wasn't as good as the record indicated 2 years ago and lost more in year 2 than year 1 and will lose more in year 3 than year 2 and on it goes. Once the fans decide not to put up with mediocrity, Alvarez will have to do something even if he (like Tennessee's AD) doesn't really want to.
about 1 month ago
Why would Tommy be fired? He is the best coach that they have had in a very long time. He did make a mistake by going to fluke offense, the spread. The spread is usually what you run when you lack the ability to get top notch talent across the board. I think Tommy will be fine, they owe him to much money.
from about 1 month ago
Danny-
Umm...about 75% of college football uses some sort of the spread...the reason being that the spread is run across this country's high schools. The recruits are spread-oriented.
Florida runs the spread...have you seen their team? Lightening fast. Penn State now runs the spread and is doing great.
No contract is too big, except for maybe Weis', for the payout to be exercised.
from about 1 month ago
the spread is used at times in a traditional offense. Normally not as a base. We spread people out at times but not our base. Another thing that you have to remember is that the "spread" isn't the option, WV runs the spread option Florida did last year more than this. Another term for it is QB killer. It is what high schools run because their best play maker is their QB, he runs more than he throws. Normally you want good WR's a good RB and a Good QB. You don't get that a lot in high schools so you run the option with a spread twist added in. It works in college for a little while because it isn't the norm. Defenses catch on. Going to the spread is a sure fire way to slowly reduce the number of players going to the NFL. 75% isn't remotely close, way to high for some sort of "the spread" in college. 99% of the teams will spread you out atleast once in a game. Again, that doesn't mean they are running the spread, it is just a play. I T-bone had to do the running.
about 1 month ago
I'm pleased with the job Charlie Weis and his staff are doing, as are most Irish fans. Expectations almost always exceed achievements. Regretably, Lisa writes more like an proponent than a journalist. Her sources are comments to the local newspaper article? Can't find anything in the Irish football blog sites?
from about 1 month ago
Michael...go to uhnd.org...read the comments there....they don't sound very happy there. Sure there are some blue-skyers, but you need to be realistic here...the boo-birds are starting to voice their opinions louder. I maintain that it's always a good thing to stand behind your team, but the expectations Weis has "projected" seem short. If you can't beat a team that is favored, then you are doing the minimum.
Butch Davis has beaten Rutgers, Miami, UConn and Notre Dame. Three of four teams with winning records, and one team was ranked. ND has beat one team with a winning record- Stanford.
from about 1 month ago
Lisa,
I have visited uhnd.com and many others. Your negative articles on Weis and Notre Dame seem to be issued after a loss - Mich St and UNC. Of course, there is some things that Irish fans will find fault with. No denial that we can't improve or that we don't voice it. But I thought your criteria was that "many Irish faithful have called for Weis head" (in a comment) and that Weis is on the Hot Seat.
I provided a ranking below from a known website that puts Weis at 42nd on the Hot Seat list.
I also thought you had ranked Notre Dame in your top 25 prior to the UNC game.
Spin it however you want, but Weis has coached ND to two BCS bowls in three years (Carroll, Stoops, Miles and Rodriquez are the only others). So he has some leeway. As for beating teams with losing records this year, the Irish beat Purdue by 17. Purdue lost to Penn St by 14 and to Ohio State by 13.
Trey had a good article on how the Irish schedule was tougher than expected, if you have a chance to read it. If the Irish duplicate their 4-2 start, Weis will have an 8-4 season. You'd fire Weis, disband the coaching staff, and disrupt recruiting commitments for that? "Lose (to USC) and it's nail-biting time in South Bend."??
Your inclusion of Weis on this list and term "blue-skyers" are more revealing of your attitudes. ND in your top 25, now time to fire Weis? He's done a great job cleaning up after Willingham. We'll expect more each year.
from about 1 month ago
Michael-
Thanks for your comments. I did indeed have ND in my top 25, and after seeing their performance against UNC, it's pretty clear this team as not improved as much as I thought they had. I believe the team has a better record due to a softer sked. Furthering that is that UNC was left o beat ND w/o Brandon Tate and their starting QB..their two biggest weapons.
You can spin what you want as well. The bottom line is that Weis has done better with Ty's recruits than his own. That is fact. I see ND as 6-6 this year, which considering that this is Weis' 4th year, it is not meeting the expectations of the school as far as post-season. He is doing the other things, like making sure kids go to class etc..and for that he is to be commended on, but this is BCS era football, and ND fans talking about improvement instead of a big bowl is a sign of what has happened to ND.
from about 1 month ago
Right. Label your opinion as such. Get back to me when you have found "many Irish faithful have called for Weis head".
Here's a list from Kanka on ND websites to help: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/52861-notre-dame-football-blogs-and-fansites
Let me know when you find anything that says it will be "nail-biting time in South Bend" if they lose to USC.
I agree Weis made Ty's players much better.
about 1 month ago
Beat USC and his job is safe. Lose, and it's nail-biting time in South Bend.
huh???????????? what are you talking about? by the way, when did you hear Charlie say that we would win 9-12 games? Yeap ya never did, privately or publicly. No Notre Dame fan expected 12 wins. Every ND fan thinks 9 wins are possible and 7-8 wins are probable. If we win 6 or less there will be some bitching but it's actually next year that 9-12 wins are expected.
I would think that Pete Carroll would be on the hot seat, all that talent and he loses every year to a bottom dweller.
from about 1 month ago
from Blue and Gold Illustrated: "From what I'm hearing around the way, Weis is privately projecting anywhere from nine to 12 victories this year. And yes, a 12-1 mark would equal the biggest turnaround (+8.5 games by Hawaii from 1998-99) in major college football history. But given the schedule, it's not unrealistic."
not sure how solid the source is but she's not pulling it out of thin air.
from about 1 month ago
Danny....He projected that to Blue and Gold Illustrated....."Blue and Gold Illustrated reports that Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, coming off a 3-9 season, is "privately projecting anywhere from nine to 12 victories this year." "The only regular-season game in which Notre Dame figures to be a serious underdog is the finale at USC, so Weis could conceivably have an 11-0 team heading out there if everything comes together. At that point, anything's possible."
Detroit Free Press
Danny...6 BCS bowl wins and two National championships? You are totally kidding aren't you?
from about 1 month ago
IT"S NOT HER SOURCE. If I read something in the Enquirer can I then use them as a source....they aren't the originating source.
about 1 month ago
"Why are these early-firings coming so early? MONEY."
What a crock of baloney.
First of all, it wasn't a firing or a termination - it was a resignation after his boss told him exactly how he felt. There's a rather large difference between the two.
From a financial standpoint, it makes no difference whether a coach leaves in week 7 or after the season. And it's ridiculous to think that booster pressure rises because the economy is down. Boosters are ALWAYS wanting immediate results, even before their 401ks fell off a ledge.
The truth is that having a lame-duck coach leave early is what's best for the program long-term. Recruiting will go into flux any time there is a coaching change. It's better to bring that in October rather than in December. Prime job candidates can know their candidacy for a job well before the scramble for jobs in December.
Also, you talk about the Clemson players being hurt - don't you think there are a ton of players in that locker room HAPPY their completely mediocre, underperforming coach is gone? These aren't 5-year old robots, they're (mostly) grown men. I would bet you a significant sum of money there are a lot of players waking up today with a lot more optimism than they had yesterday.
And Bielema?!? You're kidding, right?
from about 1 month ago
"Why are these early-firings coming so early? MONEY."
Sure makes sense to me that a university whose endowment is crashing and whose football
costs (travel, etc) are rising would want to fire one coach, buy him out and hire another at the
same or higher salary.
JC, your reasons are more accurate and logical.
According to "Coaches Hot Seat", December 2008 buyouts are: Tuberville - $6 million, Fulmer - $3.25 million, Willingham - $1 million (their top 3). Robinson's contract ($1.1 mill) is up after this season and he is ranked 5th.
Chuck Long is in his third year at $725,000, ranked 14th on the Hot Seat.
Ferentz's buyout is $4.545 million and ranked 35th most likely to be fired. Weis is ranked 42nd with a $5 million buyout. Bielema is 63rd (took some looking) and his buyout is $1 million.
http://www.coacheshotseat.com/CoachesHotSeatRanking.htm
from about 1 month ago
JC...you think he wasn't asked to resign? Why is he getting the rest of his money? If you resign, the school owes you nothing. You didn't fulfill the rest of the coaching duties for that season.
O"Leary supposedly "resigned" after being at ND....I suppose you buy that too? You can be fired by being asked to resign. It works like this....Look, resign now and we'll pay you the rest of your contract as a thank you for your tenure here.
What reason was there for Bowden to resign? He hasn't indicated any displeasure. He wasn't on the hot seat, was he? Oh wait, he was.
And yes, Bielema. Wisky returned 17 starters from a major bowl team.
The money aspect is referring to the pressure of getting into a BCS Bowl, fyi. The BCS pays big money to the bowl teams....don't get in, and the school's don;t get the big bucks. Clemson was counting on that ACC conference championship (like the rest of us) and a BCS Bowl.
from about 1 month ago
Lisa,
The ACC splits bowl and TV money evenly among all conference members. That's the reason Miami was so hot to leave the Big East (where teams kept the majority of their BCS/bowl payouts). The Canes were in a situation where, if they didn't make the BCS, their athletic budget was deep in the red. By sharing profits, the ACC provided them stability on the balance sheet.
Clemson might have gotten a little financial bonus from the conference for the BCS bowl, but it certainly wasn't losing payout money by not getting there. Now donations might be another story.
from about 1 month ago
I don't know - I can easily see Tommy going to the AD wanting clarification about his job status and hearing that, barring a miraculous turnaround, he'll be fired. Tommy, wanting to save some of his dignity, resigns. Both are possible, I don't know Clemson football or Tommy Bowden enough to say.
I do know that money wasn't really an issue. If anything, a solid second half an inspiring hire could cause an increase in donations instead of the negative fallout from unfulfilled expectations. With a new coach, they reset expectations and give renewed hope to the tens of thousands of Clemson fans.
about 1 month ago
Your right on again Lisa, I really don't understand what happened to Tyrone Willingham? You have my Irish pegged also. 5 STARS.....Jim
about 1 month ago
Good stuff Lisa as always.
It will cost Tennessee 6 million to fire Fulmer, and I do not know if Hamilton is wanting to do that. Of course it cost him about $1.5 million to fire Buzz Petersen as basketball head coach while still paying Jerry Green. But we got Bruce Pearl out of the deal so Huzzah!
Anyway, I do not know if they will be so quick on Fulmer. Granted Mike Hamilton is not the AD who hired him, he has a great rapport with him. Of course if we don't at least make a bowl, than I don't know.
about 1 month ago
Lisa, good read as usual but not sure how you see ND beating Navy or Pitt and see BC is an auto loss, I would think Pitt can take BC...no?
Who would go to ND at this point? all of the old names (gruden,etc.) seem all set and they couldn't hire a guy who runs as lose a ship as Saban whose players are arrested so often when people ask for autographs they think they want their finger prints. Chris Petesen is the next guyto land a major gig. I gaunrantee that if no one hires Tubberville he's back to Miami as the O-Coordinator, Nix is AWFUL.
from about 1 month ago
How about Skip Holtz? He's an ND grad, has paternal ties to the school as well, and he's a heckuva coach...even though ECU is crashing right now.
I called Pitt too close to call. It depends on which Pitt shows up!
about 1 month ago
Lisa, great stuff !
about 1 month ago
...And there are rumblings up in Eugene...Coach Belotti is safe but his defensive coordinator, Nick Alioto is coming under fire for his under-acheiving defensive secondary. He has refused to come out of his zone coverage and pressure the QB. Teams have been picking his vaunted secondary apart with short, drive-sustainers. Duck fans are mad!
Interesting read, as usual, Lisa.
from about 1 month ago
Rojo- It's a bit shocking...Ducks have best secondary in the country as far as talent. Zones won;t work in the Pac-10...you know that...too much speed on the WRs...they have to go man and hope their DBs are just as fast!
about 1 month ago
It seems as if the firing season keeps moving up each year... More time to alert possible replacements and collect the cash needed to afford them!
This year's coaching carousel will be just as wild, if not wilder, than last year!
Ty and Long are gone... Fulmer, Tuberman, and Price are on the hot seat – no surprise there... Weis - who knows what the Irish will do with him IF he actually wins 7 games...
Here are the wild cards... Michigan, Miami, Arkansas - how much time will these programs invest in their new coaches? Each case is different but I am very interested in seeing how these programs response to this year's performance - how the coaches react to the pressure to return to the winning fold, and how they fare in recruiting - especially since the competition for the top players has skyrocketed.
from about 1 month ago
Trey-
exactly! They are putting up the vacancy sign early!
about 1 month ago
Hey Lisa,
Great analysis. Sadly, you're probably right on most counts.
Willingham is gone. Period. No brainer.
Long at SDSU? Since when were Aztec fans interested in putting a winning football program together? Did I miss something?
You're right about Tuberville. That would be best for both parties. He can coach, but the web he's tangled in at Auburn might only be straightened out with a clean slate of coaches.
Weis is a tremendous human being who hasn't done much with some awesome talent. Being a good guy usually isn't enough to hold down a high profile coaching job like Notre Dame. Ask Lou.
The rest of the bunch are likely to be "hot seat" coaches next season.
One you missed, though his name won't be prominent in this "hot seat" group for another couple of losses, er, weeks. Coach Mike Stoops at Arizona. Unless he gets lucky, there's only one team left on the schedule the Wildcats will win. You know who that is. Stoops will be fired on December 7th.
POTD? You bet!
Lew
from about 1 month ago
Lew-
Weis is a nice guy..unfortunately, having only one year of HC experience at the high school level doesn't help. Yes, he was an OC, but that's still an asst. coach. I think he was overwhelmed...it's a tough school to please, no doubt. Plus, 19 year olds are a different beast than pros.
Pros have a job...to play football. 19 year olds still have school issues with tough standards, certain restrictions etc...that make it more difficult.
Thanks Lew.
about 1 month ago
Good article as always Lisa!
Thanks for not placing Rodriguez on the chopping block like the rest of the folks here have. I've always thought Bielma inherited a great team, and he basically just uses the same playbook and everything Alvarez used. Maybe a change in philosophy would help the badgers...
POTD.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Jeff...man, are the Michigan fans going nuts! Unreal!
from about 1 month ago
I don't know if nuts is the term. Angry? Frustrated? Dismayed? You bet. But a lot of us are trying to stay strong.
from about 1 month ago
Everyone knew there were going to be problems this year for Dick Rod so it shouldn't be a reason to fire him. Wait til next year if there is no improvement.
about 1 month ago
I liked this article. It is to point and a realistic one at that. However, you can't be surprised by what happens every year about this time. College football, along with basketball, has been "big business" for a very long time. The schools know it and so do the students, alumni and, most important, the coaches. That's why everyone agrees to the absurd salaries and contracts. They all know it's a win or "see ya" deal from the start. Okay, maybe give a coach a few years to put together his own team but if success isn't there on a regular basis with trips to a big name bowl game then a school will be stupid enough to start the cycle over again, and again... After awhile the students move on with their lives leaving the administrator to implode all by themselves. It does all make good reading, though.
from about 1 month ago
Al-
Thanks for the kind words, glad you enjoyed it! That's my main goal.
about 1 month ago
Another article about who's on the Hot Seat from Pat Forde, ESPN. He ranks the top sixteeen most likely to be fired.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&page=dash0807&sportCat=ncf
I don't usually offer an ESPN article. But since it came out yesterday, the article seems timely. Weis and Bielema are not listed.
from about 1 month ago
"...Weis and Bielema are not listed."
That's because even Dome Hater Forde knows that those two teams are not truly on the hot seat this year. It's nothing short of a stretch at this time to suggest otherwise. Had ND or Wisconsin had a 2-4 record, their inclusion in this article would have made more sense.
about 1 month ago
Lisa, great article. I agree with you that Nick Saban is a phenomonal recruiter and head coach at the college level. He didn't do well in the NFL, but that could be said for a number of great college coaches.
Tommy Bowden kindof wore out his welcome in Clemson even though his record there was pretty impressive and he was able to recruit top level talent to Clemson that others weren't able to in the past. Also, 2 top commits have already opened their recruitment back up and will likely go elsewhere. I think it will get worse before it gets better at Clemson.
Charlie Weis hasn't done a good job and hasn't had the success that he was supposed to have in South Bend. One thing that has improved under his watch is the ability to recruit top prospects but many of them haven't produced. Let's not forget that though there is alot of hype surronding Weis, he wasn't the first choice for the job. That was George O'Leary, who due to a little embellishment on his resume, was let go and has led the UCF Knights to success and a brand new athletic facility and on-campus stadium. Think they should've kept ol' George.
Please check out some of the articles I have posted recently. I would appreciate your comments and feedback.
about 1 month ago
Navy beat a solid Wake Forest team a few weeks ago. Look out fizzling irish...
about 1 month ago
I think George O'Leary would've been awesome in South Bend, yet its too late now. I believe this would have been better for ND, my families team, got ties up there too! I think that he would've been better for the job because he's not as much of a hot head as Weis. My uncle Jim is head trainer up there at ND and talks constantly of Weis being a little too intense at times. I even heard him cuss when they put him on T.V. nearing the end of the Stanford game at home say "GOD DAMN IT!", and you know that a coach at a catholic school shouldn't say those things on a headset or in front of a camera from such a well-respected school. My dad was there watching it with me and hes like, GOSH! lolZ. Weis is a better recruiter but we've all seen Bobby Bowden recruit tons of talent and it never pay off [[XAVIER!!!!]] but they still win enough games to get a bowl berth so I think Notre Dame will bounce back like Jello this week.
about 1 month ago
fulmer's the next to go though, i know that for fact!
about 1 month ago
I think Weis' name is included just to get the ND fans to reply.
Barring a sub-0.500 performance, Weis' job is more than safe right now. The security increases as the team grows, learns, and begins to put wins together. We're seeing a young quarterback get better and better, week to week, along with the team.
To say the 2008 Irish are not an improved team from the 2007 version is myopic, stubborn, and a blatant attempt to fish for comments. Mission accomplished on the latter.
Assuming the 2008 trend continues, this season will be considered a success regardless of the USC game because, quite frankly, rational fans understand the team has been growing, learning, and improving game to game. It's not national title or bust this year.
It's easy to point to the standings and schedule in the newspaper and say, of ND's 4 wins, only Stanford has a winning record. But the 2007 incarnation would not have won those games against SDSU, Michigan, Stanford, or Purdue, and would not have been as close against MSU and UNC. And for the record, of USC's 4 wins this year, only 2 have come against teams with a winning record: Ohio State and Oregon. Virginia is hanging out at 3-3 and Arizona State is 2-4.
from about 1 month ago
Sebastian..
I did nnot mention Weis' name to fish for comments. ND has beaten one team with a winning record- Stanford. "Nuff said.
How is that improvement? The only thing that has improved is the softness of the schedule. If you put ND's sked from last year up up against this team, the results would be the same, but they wouldn't have as many sacks. The outcome would have been the same. 3-9.
Why do I say that? Because they are 4-2 now and have beaten one team that they beat last year, Stanford, and in fact didn't beat them as bad this year.
Improvement is subjective. If you play teams with losing records and win, is that really improvement? Or is it a result of a soft schedule.
You said, "But the 2007 incarnation would not have won those games against SDSU, Michigan, Stanford, or Purdue.. In fact, last year the Irish beat the Irish by 7, and this year, the new and improved Irish beat them by 7...and almost lost that one.
Duke isn't the equivalent of SDSU? They are about the same. You beat Duke last year and barely beat SDSU this year.
about 1 month ago
Your hate for Notre Dame is unreal. I am not at all surprised that you left Weis for last to talk about. You wrote more about him and gave deeper reasoning than you did Fulmer, Bielema, and Long. All you wrote about Long was it is a "bit obvious."
I commented back on your "Notre Dame: The Cheating Just Won't Go Away" article and you never responded. I'm not surprised, because my comment challenged you to defend your "article" and actually back up the hate you spew.
The 2008 Irish are much different from last year's product. The 2007 version would not have even competed against a ranked opponent, like they did against UNC this past weekend. The offense has some great young talent getting experience now. Sophomores Jimmy Clausen, Armando Allen, Robert Hughes, Duval Kamara, and Golden Tate, along with Freshmen Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph are beginning to come together as an offense. The offensive line is not giving up nearly as many sacks as it did a year ago. Also, as of right now, they are winning games they are supposed to, which is a huge improvement from last year. Barely beating teams? I don't think record books say "Win, but it was close." A win is a win.
Is this team perfect? Far from it. They still have a long way to go, but improvements are being made. Only a hater would refuse to point out the positives and go strictly with the negatives, like you choose to do when you talk about the Irish. If Weis was "privately projecting 9-12 wins," how would anyone know that? It's private, right? Maybe Blue and Gold was trying to build up anticipation for the season? Is it possible for a writer to state something, without knowing all the facts or even having some common sense? I believe so.
Oh and you fail to mention your Trojans aren't exactly beating the top teams in the country and Petey boy continues to blow it with the most talent-laden teams ever put together. Also, they shared with LSU in 2003. But LSU hoisted the crystal football, not USC.
To quote you, "this is BCS era football," and the crystal is what matters.
from about 1 month ago
Grant-
You are whining. Get over it. Seriously....if you are comparing Weis and Carroll, there is no contest, just like there is no comparison between Saban or Miles v Weis. End of story.
about 1 month ago
It's simply the wrong year for Weis to be on the hot seat. That's the sentiment at ND...period. It's safe to say that no one on the Board of Trustees is even remotely considering it at this time. If Weis ends up with a 6-6 or worst record...then you'll have something to talk about. You have other teams in this article that without a doubt have ADs and Presidents preparing to drop the ax and trying to determint not "if", but "when". This is not the case at ND.
The rationale in this article for ND's inclusion on the list is almost entirely based on the author's method for "measure of improvement" utilizing opponents' current records and margin of victory. That method isn't what the majority of Irish faithful are using THIS YEAR. As for reading into what Irish fans feel...seriously...referencing the Uhnd.com (not .org) and the SBT board as a gauge for considering Weis' potential fate does not pass the mustard. Go guage one of the more heavily populated boards like ND Nation or the comments on the blog site Blue Gray Sky and you won't get any form of consensus that Weis should be dismissed. Are there those that want him gone...yes...but that's true of any top-level school at this time that has 2 or more losses. That doesn't mean the coach is in trouble.
Again, it's simply the wrong year. A 4-2 record isn't going to initiate any such debate on Weis regardless of how you measure their opponents records, margins of victory, etc. Why? Because they were 0-5 this time last year...and that is an absolute improvement regardless of change in schedule strength, which ESPN now considers less weak than at the outset of the year.
Every Irish fan knows that if this year's schedule was in fact last year's, the Irish would have truly been struggling in all these games...yes including this year's Michigan and SDSU. Now if at this time in '09 they are 4-2 with wins only against weaker teams...you'll have something real to write about.
about 1 month ago
Lisa-
At no point during my comment did I compare Weis to Carroll, Saban, or Miles. You are right, there is no comparison. Weis does not have a national title, while the other 3 do. But please, show me where I compare them. I was not whining. I called you out for your ND hate and showed my reasons for feeling they have improved and will continue to improve. Instead of writing something intelligent, you accused me of whining and comparing people, when in fact, I did not.
I'm finding that when someone actually challenges what you write, you either don't respond, use the same facts you have already used over and over again, or you accuse them of something that is CLEARLY not in their comment to begin with.
You wrote an article entitled "Notre Dame: The Cheating Just Won't Go Away." I commented on it, using your own quotes, as well as well known facts, and challenged you to defend your poorly written, poorly named article. You chose not to do so.
It's time you just come out and say it: you hate Notre Dame. You hate everything to do with Fightin' Irish football and your articles and thoughts prove such. You would gain more credibility if you would admit it, instead of attempting to mask it in your "writing."
about 1 month ago
Lisa--Where do you think Lane Kiffin ends up coaching next year? I would be surprised that he would go after the U-Dub job considering he'll be facing Pete Carroll each year. I don't know if this rumor is valid but I read that wherever Lane Kiffin ends up, his dad might be his defensive coordinator. I think that would be a huge boost for recruiting defensive players. Do you think Coach Sark leaves USC after this year? Thanks.
write a new comment